Wakeboarding, waterboat festival hits Chapin this weekend

LAKE MURRAY, S.C.— SC Rough Riders will host the 12th annual Weekend With The Pros on Lake Murray on June 16 & 17.

In addition to bringing professional wakeboarders Shaun Murray and Steel Lafferty for the Pro Wakeboard Show, Weekend With The Pros will host the Chapin In-Water Boat Show at The Frayed Knot featuring local dealers Captain’s Choice Marine, MarineMax Hall Marine and Carolina Inboard. Also unique to the event, pro wakeboarding lessons will be given by Shaun Murray and Steel Lafferty on Friday and Saturday.

“For my 13th birthday, my parents hired Jonathon McDonald, a world champion wakeboarder to come to Lake Murray and coach me,” says Event Director and Rough Riders Founder, Chris Farr. “The first time he hit the wake and did a flip, it changed my life. I spent that summer learning my first flip and after that, I went on to compete in watersports through high school and college. Watersports made me athletic, changed the way I felt about myself, and it’s been a part of my life ever since. Weekend With The Pros was born out of what my parents did for me for that birthday back in 1997.”

Over 1,200 spectators and 280 boats were in attendance last year, and those numbers are projected to increase due to the unique In-Water Boat Show where local dealers’ showcase pontoons, runabouts, fishing boats, center consoles and wakeboard boats as some of the main attractions for all ages during the two-day event.

“Twelve years ago, this event started as a group of my friends pooling our money to bring a pro wakeboarder to Lake Murray for coaching. It evolved into involving more riders, local businesses, and people from all over the state and beyond who get the chance to meet pro riders and watch world-class wakeboarding. Looking back over the last 12 years, the growth has been great, even a little staggering, and one thing has remained the same: our mission to introduce people to the best in lake life and spread our love of watersports,” says Chris Farr.

The Chapin In-Water Boat Show will be held Friday and Saturday from 9am-6pm at The Frayed Knot Restaurant, 1701 Dreher Island Rd, Chapin, SC 29036 and is FREE to the public.

Pro Wakeboarding Lessons with Shaun Murray and Steel Lafferty will be offered Friday and Saturday at The Frayed Knot and are $295 for a full-day on Friday and $175 for a half-day on Saturday. Lessons include world-class coaching behind new wake boats, equipment demos, an event shirt, as well as snacks and lunch with the pros. More information on the Pro Wakeboarding Lessons and registration can be found at www.southcarolinaroughriders.com. Lessons have limited availability.

The Pro Wakeboard Show will highlight the weekend as Pros throw their best tricks in front of The Frayed Knot on Saturday at 2pm. You can bring your own boat for the show that is FREE to the public or, for the first time in this event’s history, you can watch the show from land. You will be able to see the majority of the show from The Frayed Knot. For a truly unique view of the show, front row seats in the boats pulling the pros including photos and autographs between sets can be purchased at www.southcarolinaroughriders.com.